I'll Be Your Hands
by vicarwithableedingface
Summary: This is my follow up to 'Bitter Blood'. Claire leaves Morganville for MIT, only to be called back, accompanied by Oliver, when the humans start an uprising. Title based on a Myrnin quote, and will include the Clyrnin pairing.
1. Goodbyes

_**A/N: Hi all! This is the first chapter of my new fic, 'I'll Be Your Hands'. I was disappointed by 'Fall of Night', so decided to write my own alternative. As mentioned above, the title is based on the quote by Myrnin in 'Ghost Town'. Hope you enjoy!**_

_**I don't own any of the characters, places etc, sadly for me they all belong to Rachel Caine, although the plot is mine.**_

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**Chapter 1: Goodbyes**

"Please, please don't leave me," Shane begged, his brown, puppy-dog eyes searching her face for any hint of uncertainty that might make her stay. But Claire had made her decision; she was going to MIT. As she waited by the window for her parents to arrive, Shane begun to pace back and forth, trying to calm down.

Suddenly, he stopped, as a wave of inspiration washed over him. Turning to Claire, he got down on one knee. Across the room, Eve and Michael exchanged looks, as though they had been waiting for him to try this. "Claire, will you marry-"

"No, Shane, don't. I love you, but I need some time to myself, ok?" Claire interrupted, sighing.

"Please, Claire, just stay. I need you!" That sounded so pathetic, even to him. After all, it was his fault that she was leaving. He was the one who had accused her of cheating. "Shane, calm down buddy. Step outside for a minute," Michael said, crossing the room in a blink of an eye. Putting an arm around Shane's shoulders, he guided him out of the room. "Hey, I'm gonna miss you CB" Eve said, making her way around the game controllers and leftover food that littered the room. "I'm going to miss you too!" Claire cried, breaking down into a flood of tears. As they hugged each other, they heard the sound of a car pulling up outside. "That's them," Claire said, extracting herself from Eve's arms and looking out the window.

Making their way to the door, Claire and Eve met Shane and Michael in the hall. Opening the front door, they all greeted Claire's parents, and then stepped outside into the morning sun (Michael wrapped up in a large coat and scarf) to help get the bags to the car. "Take care, and don't get into any trouble," Michael warned Claire, before pulling her into a hug and ruffling her hair. "Me? It's you who Amelie's threatened with some unknown punishment!"

"I'll be fine, just try to stay out of any life and death situations," he joked lightly, giving her one last hug.

It was Eve's turn next. "I can't believe you're off to MIT!" she squealed. "I'm going to miss you so much." Then, in an undertone she added, "Please phone Shane lots. And don't go dating any fancy shmancy, smarty pants college boys either, or you'll break his heart."

"I promise. And I'll miss you too," Claire replied, hugging her tightly.

Finally it was Shane's farewell. Pulling her to one side, away from her parents and Eve and Michael, he kissed her, said, "I love you so much," then with a sigh added, "And enjoy college. I know I can't make you stay, but I have something for you. Just so you don't forget all about me."

"You didn't have to!" Claire exclaimed as he pulled out a locket on a silver chain. Opening it, she found a tiny picture of her and Shane together, smiling at the camera. "Oh, it's so beautiful," she whispered, as she closed the locket and placed it around her neck, where it rested next to the cross that he had also given her. After kissing him once more, they made their way over to the waiting car, where Claire climbed into the backseat, having resisted the urge to call shotgun as though she were with Michael, Eve and Shane.

As the car pulled away, they all waved to each other, before Claire turned around to hide her tears. Driving down the road, Claire's dad turned to her. "I know you'll miss them, but you're going to MIT. You've always wanted to go there, and you'll see them all again in a few years."

"A few years seems so long though," she replied, sighing and looking out of the window.

SMASH! Suddenly, the car shook as something hit it. "Oh my God!" screamed Mrs Danvers, slamming on the brakes as a body rolled across the windscreen. Claire's dad threw open his door, as did Claire and they ran to the front of the car. Lying slightly dazed in the middle of the road was none other than Myrnin, Claire's (former) crazy vampire boss. "What the hell are you doing Myrnin?" yelled Claire, staring at him.

"Amelie just informed me that you were leaving today. She had refused to tell me when exactly when you were leaving until just now. I came to stop you," he informed her, as he stood up, brushing the dirt off of his velvet jacket. "Why?" she said, as her parents looked on in confusion.

"My little Claire, my dear, you are my assistant. I cannot permit you to leave," Myrnin said, although something in his eyes suggested that this may not be the real reason. "I have Amelie's permission, Myrnin, and you know it. Now go, so we can leave," Claire replied harshly, wounded, as she had secretly hoped that he might have had a more personal reason for not wanting her to go. Something changed in Myrnin's expression as he said, "I refuse to let you go." Stubborn as ever, Claire tried to push him out the way, but as he was a super strong vampire, this plan didn't really work. However, Myrnin, knowing Claire, stepped to the side, as he knew how stubborn she was. "Fine, but I _will_ have to replace you," he said, then bowed low to her and gently kissed her hand. Although his statement could be taken as harsh and detached, Claire had a feeling that it concealed something much deeper and stronger. Just as she was about to respond, he turned on his heel and disappeared with a flash, leaving just a cloud of swirling dust to prove that he had ever been there.

Getting back into the car, Claire rested her head against the window as the car continued down the road, a tear rolling down her cheek. "_I never thought I would miss Morganville this much_," she thought, closing her eyes and trying to rest.

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**_A/N: Thanks for reading! The next chapter is already written, so I will post it soon. Please review, so I know what you think :) Ta ta for now!_**


	2. New Beginnings

_**A/N: Hello again! I was so surprised to get a review so quickly, and a lot of hits too! So as thanks to all the people who read, and hopefully enjoyed Chapter 1, as well as 'kay bbeZ' who reviewed it, I have decided to post this Chapter extra early.**_

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**Chapter Two: New Beginnings**

As she handed over her boarding pass, Claire looked back at her parents, arms round each other, waving to her as she left. 'That might be me and Shane one day, if we can trust each other enough to work things out,' she thought, smiling at the thought. As if he could read her thoughts, a text appeared on her phone. "I already miss you Claire. Please come home to us. I'm so sorry. Xx" Briefly, Claire felt a pang of desire to return home, but steeled herself, reminding herself that they needed a break to see if it could really work between them. "I need this Shane. Love you. Xx" she replied, and then turned off her phone before she got any more messages which might make her resolution fail.

After a short flight, which probably seemed longer due to the crying children and snoring man in the seats next to her, she arrived in Boston, feeling very small and alone. Just as she was beginning to worry that Liz had forgotten her, she spotted an excitable figure with curly red hair bouncing up and down across the baggage carousel. "Claire!" the figure yelled, rushing towards her and almost knocking several people down on the way. "Oh my God! You've changed so much! I love how you're wearing your hair now!" Claire decided to cut in before Liz collapsed, saying "Changed? I'll take it as a compliment. How have you been?"

"Really good, I've made loads of friends here, and... I've got a new boyfriend!" squealed Liz, barely pausing for breath before continuing. "He's called Jamie and he's so cute! But what about this Shane of yours?"

"Um, well, we're kind of on a break at the moment, but I still love him – it's complicated" Claire replied, looking for a way out of the topic she least wanted to discuss. Five minutes in the outside world and already she was missing Morganville. "So what's the apartment like?"

"Oh, it's so cute, and really modern – you're going to love it! Come on, let's go see it now, it's only about ten minutes walk from MIT and really close to the mall too!" Grabbing Claire by the hand, Liz practically dragged her and her luggage trolley towards a Mini Cooper Convertible that was parked in the lot outside.

After a hair raising journey down the interstate, the small red car pulled up outside a towering apartment block, made mostly from coloured plastic and glass, with even the concrete painted bright colours. In fact, it was just the kind of place that Claire could imagine bright, bouncy Liz living. "We're on the third floor," Liz explained, pulling out boxes from the trunk of her car and heaving them towards the glass doors to the building. Claire got out more boxes and cases, and followed after Liz, already exhausted by the excitement of her new roommate.

Eventually, they reached the third floor, sweating with the effort of climbing the stairs with all the luggage. "This is it!" Liz exclaimed, pushing open the door of their new apartment. Inside, the apartment was as modern as would be expected from the outside. Suddenly, Liz seemed to realise how tired and strained Claire was feeling, as she turned around to see her old friend close to tears. "Hey, are you ok?" she asked in a much calmer, gentler tone.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, I think I just need some time alone. Sorry, you've been so nice to me, it's just a lot to cope with all at once," Claire replied, hoping not to upset her friend.

"I understand," Liz said, "I remember when I first came here. At least you know me – I didn't know anyone. Look, I'm meeting up with some friends soon, I was going to introduce you, but I'm not sure you'll want to come at the moment?"

"Yeah, you go, and I'll stay and unpack, and just calm down a bit. I can always meet them tomorrow," Claire replied with a small smile, glad that Liz understood that it wasn't personal.

"Ok then, I'm going to go get ready. Your room is the second on the right. Shout if you need anything," Liz said, then left the lounge/kitchen area and headed towards the bathroom.

Curiosity overcame exhaustion and Claire made her way out of the room and down the corridor, pushing open the door to her new room. 'This is different,' she thought, looking around the room. Compared to her comfy, antiquated room at the Glass house, this room was ultra modern, with minimalistic furniture and bold, bright colours everywhere. In that moment, Claire realised how much she missed her home, even with its ghosts, creaking floorboards and bloodsucking vampires. 'Why did I ever leave?' she thought to herself. Clutching at the locket strung round her neck, she made a promise to herself. 'I will try this. But if I still feel like this in couple of weeks, I'm going home.'

Feeling better, she spent the next few hours arranging her possessions around her new room. Pride of place was a photograph, taken the previous Christmas, of her, Shane, Michael, Eve and even Myrnin, who was in the background waving a pair of new vampire bunny slippers around. Opening up her laptop, she saw that she had a Skype request from Eve. Clicking 'Accept', she was greeted with a squeal from Eve as she waved excitedly at the screen. "Michael, Shane, get your zombie-fighting butts over here, Claire's here!" As her friends crowded round, Claire relaxed, feeling the best she had since arriving. "What's it like there?" Shane asked, concern showing across his face in case Claire was stuck in some horrible hell hole. "Fine, I suppose, but so different," she replied, picking up the webcam and scanning the room with it. "It's ok honey. And remember, you always have a place here if you decide to come home," Eve said comfortingly, giving an encouraging smile. "But I know you, and you won't give up," she finished, blowing Claire a kiss. Suddenly, Claire heard the door click open, and Liz yelled "I'm home! Feeling better?"

"I've got to go guys, I'll speak to you soon!" Claire said a little sadly.

"Stay safe, Clairebear, and make sure you do," Eve said, waving at the monitor.

"Take care, and enjoy college," Michael said, before standing up with Eve and leaving the room, giving Shane and Claire some privacy. "I miss you so much, but I know I've got to let you do this." Shane said with sincerity. "I love you so much, and I'll call you soon. Bye Claire."

"Bye Shane, I promise to call soon," Claire said, forcing back tears. Then the screen went blank, as Shane shut off the call, probably so that she didn't have to see him cry.

"Hello? Anybody in there?" Liz called, knocking cheerfully on the door.

"Yeah, just me, sorting out my stuff," Claire replied, getting up and opening the door. "Did you have a good night?"

"Yeah, it was great thanks, feeling better?"

"I think so, but I'm going to turn in now, the sleep will probably do me some good," Claire replied, giving her friend a weak smile. "Night then," Liz chirped, before leaving the room and shutting the door.

Curling up in her stiff, unfamiliar bed, Claire let the tears flow as she thought of Eve, Michael and most of all Shane, all together whilst she was here in the big, scary outside world. Then, as she started to drift into an uneasy sleep, her thoughts turned to Myrnin, her crazy vampire-boss, and _that_ kiss. What was he doing? Had he found a replacement for her already? And why had he really thrown himself in front of the car? Was he really just inconvenienced by her departure, or did he feel something more for her? And if he did, how did she feel about that? With these confusing, troublesome questions swirling around in her mind, she fell asleep, hugging her pillow close to her.

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**_A/N: Thanks again for reading, please review! The next chapter should be ready within a week._**


	3. First Day

_**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed/favourited and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

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**Chapter 3: First Day**

Waking up and smacking her alarm to get it to stop, Claire rolled out of bed sleepily, and stretched. 'Here goes nothing,' she thought, showering and dressing, before making her way to the kitchen for breakfast. Tacked to the fridge with a souvenir MIT magnet was a note, reading:

"Morning Sleepyhead!

I've had to go to class, there's cereal and bread in the cupboard, and milk in the fridge. Help yourself! Hope you enjoy your first day. This evening, I'm having dinner with some friends, so I probably won't be back 'til late – hope you don't mind. Have a good day!

- Liz"

Smiling at the cheeriness of the note, Claire made herself toast and a glass of orange juice before packing her rucksack and heading out the door, locking it behind her, and then double checking the lock, a habit from living in Morganville.

Arriving at the reception of her new college, she registered before being shown to a lab by an older, rather attractive male student. "Hi," he said, flashing her a perfect smile, "The name's Chase, and I major in Engineering. You?"

"Um, hi, I'm Claire. I major in Physics, but I'm taking a special advanced study with Professor Anderson," she said, returning the smile.

"So you must be, like, amazingly clever then?" he said, flashing her yet another blinding smile. 'Is he flirting with me?' Claire thought, blushing slightly. "Not really, I just spend too much time studying," she said out loud.

As they arrived outside a clinical, modern looking lab, he said "If you're ever not too busy studying, fancy getting a drink?"

"Sorry, but I have a boyfriend back home, so I'm not really interested, but thanks anyway," she said, just as the door to the lab opened. "Chase, stop trying to pester the new girl, and go study" the woman at the door said, chastising him gently, "and you must be Claire, my new student. I'm Professor Anderson, but you can just call me Irene." As Chase left, Claire studied the women who was going to be her mentor and teacher for potentially the next few years. Petite, with greying hair, and a friendly smile, she seemed welcoming, but as a native of Morganville, Claire was sure that she was much tougher than she seemed. "Yes, I'm Claire," she replied, stepping into the lab.

"So, let's get straight down to work," Irene said, shutting the door behind her. "Can I see this 'VLAD' device please?" Claire obliged, unzipped her backpack and pulling out a clunky metal device covered in cogs and other parts which Myrnin had added to 'improve' the device. "This is it," Claire said. "Currently, it just amplifies emotions, but it is actually intended to cancel them out."

"Amazing," Irene whispered, gazing at the device in admiration. "Well then, let's continue with our work on this device then."

For the rest of the day, Claire and Irene worked tirelessly on improving the device, combining their minds to come up with a solution. However, by the end of the day, they had made no new discoveries about the theory behind improving it. Finally, they left the lab late in the evening, and headed towards a cafe.

As they sat sipping coffee, Irene suggested "Maybe we should devote our time towards making various copies of the machine, varying each one, on a trial and improvement basis until we can produce one that works as intended." Claire thought this over carefully. 'Making more of this device? There would be a higher risk of it getting into the wrong hands,' thought one part of her brain, the more sensible, grounded part. But the other, stronger, Shane-influenced side thought 'But it would probably be much faster and easier, which is what we need right now, with the vampires getting stronger.' Aloud, Claire said, "I believe you're right, but we need to be careful with the copies."

"Absolutely," Irene replied, finishing her drink and standing. "I had best go, and so had you. If we are going to use this method, we will need all the sleep we can get. I will expect you at the lab at seven tomorrow morning."

Saying goodbye, they left the cafe, heading their separate ways, and Claire walked back to her apartment, feeling refreshed by the day of physics and using her brain.

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_**A/N: As always, please review. I am trying to update weekly, although I go back to school soon, so I may take a bit longer to update as I have exams in a few weeks.**_

_**Also, I am British, so I apologise if the details about education aren't quite right as I don't really understand the American system.**_


	4. A Storm Is Coming

_**A/N: As the last chapter was a bit short, I finished this chapter so that I could post it today. Enjoy!**_

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**Chapter 4: A Storm Is Coming**

Back in Morganville, Eve and Michael sat together on the sofa, arms wrapped around one another, enjoying the time alone, as Shane was still at work. "This is how I imagined married life," Michael confessed to Eve, running his fingers through her long black hair. "Alone, as a proper couple, in our own house."

"Me too baby, but I don't know how to break it to Shane that he needs to get his own place. After, all, he's feeling pretty down at the moment anyway," Eve said. "Let's just not worry about it right now, after all, we've got our own problems too, with Amelie going all super strict on you for not going along with what she wants." Just that day, Amelie had visited the Glass house to inform Michael of his punishment; he was to assist Myrnin in his work, a job that almost nobody wanted. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. After all, if Myrnin goes all evil crazy man on me, I can hold my own. If Claire can manage him so can I," Michael comforted her, pulling her closer. "I'm more worried about you."

"Me?" Eve questioned, acting confused.

"Yes, you. Ever since Theo told us that there was no way we could have kids, you've been miserable. I know it's horrible, but I think you need to start working to accept it." Michael watched his wife nervously, as he had been avoiding the topic for weeks since they found out. "Accept it!?" Eve screeched, pulling away from him, eyes blazing. "Michael, it's not as easy as you make out! I've been trying so hard!" Suddenly, something inside her seemed to break, and she just collapsed in a heap on the floor, sobbing quietly. "I'm sorry Michael, I know it's hard for you too, but I just feel so confused. And what about when I start to age and you don't? That's just another issue altogether. I'm just starting to come to terms with all the problems we're going to have to face, and it's hard. Real hard." Quietly, Michael bent down and scooped Eve up, cradling her in his lap.

"It's ok baby, we'll think of something. We'll be ok." Slowly, Eve stopped crying, her thick mascara making tracks down her powder white face. "I know," she said, and she seemed confident of it too, hugging Michael.

Suddenly, there came pounding on the door, someone knocking heavily on the wood. As Michael rushed to get the door, Eve peered out of the front window. "It's Shane!" she called to Michael as he reached the door. Unlocking it as fast as possible, Michael pulled the door open, allowing Shane to stumble in, before slamming the door shut, and locking it again. "What the hell man?" Michael exclaimed, as he took in the sweaty, blood soaked shirt that Shane was wearing. "What happened?"

"It's a – funny story – actually," Shane said with ragged breathes. "Humans – Captain Obvious – decided to – try and kill – me – and some other – vamps."

"What? I thought everything was getting better!" Eve shouted, as she made her way through to the hall. "Obviously not," Shane replied, as he seemed to recover. They made their way through to the living room, where Shane proceeded to tell them about how 'Captain Obvious' and their crew had been staging a protest in town when the vampire police had gotten involved, resulting in a violent fight, with Shane caught in the middle. "And then I ran back here," he finished just as the telephone rang. Michael picked up the phone. "Hello, Glass residence, Michael speaking." Michael conversed over the phone for several minutes, then said goodbye and put the hung up.

"Who was it?" Eve asked nervously.

"Hannah Moses. She said that the uprising had been stopped, and that Flora Ramos has been detained. She wants us to go over there and try to convince Amelie to spare her," Michael replied, looking unsure of what to do.

"We'd better go then, it must be pretty serious," Shane decided, standing up.

"I don't know," Eve interrupted, "Michael's already in trouble, and you haven't exactly got a reputation for being Team Vampire. We might just make things worse for them, or ourselves."

"Hang on, let me get this straight, since when did we let the vamps – no offence Mickey – walk all over us?" Shane said, clenching his fists and breathing deeply.

"Since we all keep almost getting killed!" Eve yelled back, stepping protectively in front of Michael.

"Calm down Eve, we'll go together, but if things get too dangerous, we'll back down, ok guys?" Michael, ever the peacekeeper, interrupted. "Ok, so long as you do back down honey," Eve said, kissing him gently on the cheek. "Of course, sweetie," he replied, kissing her on the nose in return. "Ok, ok, can we stop getting all emotional and soppy, and focus on getting Ms Ramos free?" Shane sighed, heading towards the door. "Oh, shut up jerk-head!" Eve yelled at his back, before she and Michael followed him. "Loser!" he retorted, before calling shotgun.

Within ten minutes, they had arrived outside Amelie's office, and were being shown in. "Mr Collins, Mr and Mrs Glass, how can I assist you?" said Amelie, who was sat at her desk, wearing the usual ice white trouser suit, with her blonde hair twisted into an elaborate updo. "Um, we wanted to talk to you about Flora Ramos. It's just that –"

"I refuse to be spoken to on the matter. I have made my decision and it is final, I am willing to try and live peacefully, vampires among humans, but only if the humans will behave. By executing Ms Ramos, I hope to demonstrate this belief to the humans," Amelie interrupted calmly, stopping Eve mid sentence.

"But Amelie, please -"Michael began.

"Silence!" Amelie commanded, her eyes flashing dangerously as she rose out of her seat. "I am the Founder and you will listen to me. Now out!"

"Yes Founder," muttered Eve as they backed out of the room, before the heavy wooden door slammed shut.

"What could we do?" Michael protested as Shane stormed down the corridor. "She might have decided that one of us belonged in the cage instead!"  
"Maybe we do, if we won't stand up for one of our own!" yelled Shane, hitting out at the wall. As they stepped out into Founder's Square, they saw the cage had been reconstructed in the middle of the grass lawn, and was slowly being surrounded by spectators. Within it was Flora Ramos. "Traitors!" she screamed when she saw Shane, Michael and Eve, throwing herself against the bars of the cage. "Betraying your own species! And you! Marrying one of them!" she yelled, pointing at Eve.

"We've just been trying to save you!" Eve cried out, "Please, you've got to believe us!"

"Well, I don't!" she shouted back, causing the crowd of her human supporters to join in, jeering and mocking Eve, Michael and Shane. At this, they backed up, away from the increasingly violent mob, and towards Hannah, who was standing by her cruiser. "Any luck?" she asked them, without much hope. "No, of course not," Shane said abruptly, leaning against the hood of the cruiser, and sulking.

"Yeah, Amelie just wouldn't listen," Michael added, hugging Eve tightly.

"Well, it was worth a try," Hannah said resignedly, "I suppose now we just have to stop anyone else following her lead." As Hannah finished speaking, Amelie emerged from the Mayor's building. Striding up to the cage, Amelie began to speak. "Your mayor, Flora Ramos, is here today because she attempted to incite a rebellion. I have been very fair with the citizens of Morganville, and time after time, I have been rewarded for my patience with violence and disruption. Ms Ramos will burn in a fortnight, giving all residents a chance to see what will happen to any troublemakers. I do not wish to have to do this again, so I ask for your cooperation."

At Amelie's words, there was uproar, as the mob of furious humans surged towards the cage, yelling abuse and brandishing make-shift weapons. Suddenly, they all froze, held in place by the strength of Amelie's mind. Her voice echoed around the square as she spoke. "I will not tolerate this behaviour. Return home, now, or face the same fate as your mayor!" Despite the fact that Amelie was simply speaking, the authority and anger in her tone caused it to sound deafening, overwhelming the humans. The mob slowly dispersed, the members seeming dazed and sedated.

Amelie gestured to Hannah and the Glass house inhabitants to come to her, so they hesitantly approached her, wary of her current mood. "This temporary peace can only last so long; the effects of my control will only last for a matter of hours. I suggest that you return home, and bolt the doors," Amelie said, formally and in a matter-of-fact tone, not betraying any sign of her previous anger. Then, in a more human, gentle tone, she added, "I am sorry that I cannot do as you wish and release Flora Ramos, but she is a threat to any remainder of peace that currently exists in Morganville." With that, she turned and swept up the steps into the Mayor's building.

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**_A/N: Once again, thanks for reading, and please review!_**


	5. Eureka!

_**A/N: Hello again guys! I'm so sorry I have been neglecting this story, but I've been uber-busy with school. So to make up for it, have a new chapter! :****)**_

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**Chapter 5: Eureka!**

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Claire was blissfully unaware of the trouble facing her friends in Morganville. That said, she wasn't exactly happy. She had spent most of her life dreaming about attending MIT, and yet so far, she had mostly felt out of place and homesick for Morganville.

Despite this, she tried to ignore these feelings, remembering how she had felt when she first moved to Morganville. And the atmosphere was much happier and safer than it ever was in Morganville, with no bloodsucking vampires or murdering humans (at least, not so far) hiding in the shadows.

The past week had gone by in a blur, with the days spent manufacturing and tweaking various models of VLAD, and the nights spent being coaxed into socialising by Liz, although Claire hadn't broken her promise to Eve about "fancy shmancy, smarty pants college boys." When Claire thought of Eve, she realised that she had been so busy that she hadn't called or Skyped her old friends since she had arrived.

Feeling guilty, Claire had excused herself from the party with Liz, Jamie and their other friends, and quickly made her way home. Logging into Skype, she didn't have to wait long until her friends appeared on the screen. "Clairebear!" yelled Eve, "We thought you'd forgotten about us!"

"Yeah, we've missed you," added Michael, his arm around Eve. Then there was a moment of silence as Shane seemed to consider what to say. "What have you been doing that you haven't spoken to us in a week?" he said at last, an expression that was hard to read clouding his features. If Claire was right, and she hoped that for once she wasn't, she would have said he seemed...suspicious.

"I'm really sorry guys, I just got caught up in things here. I've been at the lab all day every day, then Liz has been taking me to parties and things in the evening with her boyfriend Jamie. I kept meaning to get in touch." As she had feared, as soon as she mentioned the parties, and Jamie, Shane's expression turned jealous. "Um, has anyone else been at these 'parties'?" he said, a touch of anger entering his voice.

Before he could continue, Eve interrupted angrily, "For God's sake Shane, of course Claire wouldn't-"

"Eve, calm down. Could Shane and I have a minute alone?" Claire said, hoping to diffuse some of the tension, although she could feel herself starting to lose control. "Of course, come on Eve," Michael said, as he and Eve got up and left the room.

"Shane, obviously I wouldn't do anything!" Claire exclaimed once they had left.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just that with-" Shane started, looking genuinely sorry.

"No. No but's. Remember how understanding I was with the issue with Ysandre, and you can't even trust me not to go behind your back with your best friend, and my best friend's husband! How many times have I forgiven you? I've had enough!" Claire yelled, finally losing the battle to bottle it up. "We're through!"

Shane gasped as though he had been punched. "What? Claire, no, we can work through this!" he said, panic clouding his face.

"No, no we can't, how many times have we tried? She replied, sadly now. "Just accept that we can't make this work. And before you accuse me of anything, this is just because of you, there's not anyone else."

At that, Shane got up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Claire sat for a moment, stunned at what had just happened. But she didn't regret it. She had had enough of the distrust and suspicion.

As she was going over what had just happened, Michael and Eve entered the room. Eve edged forward tentatively. "Clairebear?" she said hesitantly, "What happened? Shane just, well, ran out."

"I told him it was over," Claire stated, still seeming a bit shocked at her own actions.

"You what?" Eve yelped, clearly stunned. "Claire, this will kill him. Are you sure?"

"Yes. He can't trust me, so I'm through trying," she replied, and despite looking a bit shocked, she sounded certain of her decision. "Can we not talk about it right now?"

"Um, yeah, sure" said Michael, looking concerned about Claire. "So, how's MIT been?"

"Good, thanks, I think we're close to a breakthrough with VLAD," she replied, gathering herself. "How've you been finding it working with Myrnin?"

"Interesting, actually. He hasn't killed me yet," Michael joked, "Although I do think he misses you. He'd never admit it though."

"Well, I'm making great progress with VLAD, so I might be back to take him off your hands soon," Claire replied, giving a small smile. "How's Morganville?"

"Well, I don't want you to panic, but there's been trouble. Flora was arrested, and she's been sentenced to death – and of course the humans and Captain Obvious aren't just going to sit there and take it, so Amelie's been trying to control them," Michael told her, looking suddenly more drained.

"Oh, so just a normal week in Morganville then?" Claire said, "But seriously, this isn't good, you've got to convince Amelie to spare her, or there'll be even more problems."

"You think we haven't tried? She won't listen," answered Michael. Just then, she heard the sound of the Glass House front door opening. "Shane's back, isn't he?" Claire said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Eve said, "You might want to go, it doesn't seem like he's in a very good mood." Claire sighed, "Ok, take care, and I'll try and speak to you sooner next time."

Shutting off the computer, Claire fell back on her bed. 'What have I done?" she thought to herself. 'I'm sure it was the right thing. I can't spend my life being questioned and interrogated.' And then there was Myrnin. She had kept trying to push her feelings down, but it was becoming harder and harder. When Michael had mentioned him her heart had started racing, and it had taken all her power not to flush.

The talk of trouble in Morganville (and possibly the thought of Myrnin missing her) made her want to go home right then. But she knew she had to finish VLAD, as it could be the one thing that would save Morganville from total destruction. And after all, the sooner she finished VLAD, the sooner she could return.

And so it was that the next day she got ready, grabbed a coffee, and headed straight to the lab. "Hi Claire," greeted Professor Anderson, looking up from where she was already at work on one of the replica models. "Hi," Claire replied, practically bouncing with energy. "I think we're close to finding a solution. I really do."

"I certainly hope so, after the amount of time we've put in," Anderson said, smiling at Claire's renewed enthusiasm.

The morning passed in a blur of tightening screws, adjusting dials and calculating equations. Then, suddenly, something clicked in Claire's head. "I've got it!" she yelled excitedly, gesturing for Anderson to come and see it. After listening to Claire's explanation of how to make VLAD fully operational, she grinned, saying "I think you have!" It turned out that Claire just needed to make a few minor adjustments to the measurements, and VLAD should work as it was intended to.

Relief flooded Claire. She would be able to go home, and earlier than expected. 'Myrnin!' was her first thought. Suddenly she realised what that meant. Myrnin was her priority. Not Eve. Not Michael. Definitely not Shane. Confusion replaced her relief, but she forced it down, trying to refocus on VLAD.

"How quickly can we complete this model?" Claire asked, and her impatience must have been evident as Anderson replied "If you want to get home, I can finish it by this evening. You've been working really hard all morning."

"Is that ok?" Claire said, although even as she said this she began to pack.

"Yes, yes, go ahead, I'll be fine," Anderson said, smiling.

"Thanks again!" Claire said, as she finished packing her bag and turned to leave.

As soon as she was out of sight of the lab, Claire gave an uncharacteristic squeal of excitement and nerves. The thought of being back in the Glass House made her want to get on a plane immediately, and she thought to herself, 'Morganville, here I come!'

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_**A/N: Thanks again for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I promise I won't take as long with the next one! Please review :)**_


	6. A Cause for Celebration

**_A/N: Ask and you will receive bekah-lauren'.D Sorry it's a bit short, but at least I'm getting more organised with my updates :) _**

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**Chapter 6: A Cause for Celebration**

Myrnin, Michael conceded, was not as crazy, nor as cruel as he was often believed to be by the vast majority of those living in Morganville. In fact, when he was in private, enthralled by his latest experiment, he could be fairly pleasant.

Since Claire had left, Michael had been spending several hours each day acting as a general assistant to Myrnin, passing him chemicals, fetching coffee, and feeding Bob, the enormous spider that was like a child to Myrnin. Although Myrnin passed through manic phases of energy and excitement, Michael had observed that he was frequently quiet, and often appeared to be agitated by something that bore no relevance to whichever theory he was testing.

He couldn't be certain, but Michael had a feeling that this agitation was to do with the absence of Myrnin's favourite assistant. If anyone had dared to ask, Myrnin would probably have vehemently denied pining over his old assistant, and bitten their head off (literally!).

It was late afternoon, the day after Flora's arrest, when Michael arrived at the lab to find glass vials shattered, wooden benches splintered, and pieces of paper strewn across the room.

"Myrnin?" Michael called out warily. After all, the destruction could be Myrnin's doing, or the result of a struggle between Myrnin and an intruder. When there was no reply, he carefully picked his way through the mess.

Suddenly, he heard a murmuring coming from behind a door on the far side of the lab. Edging closer, careful not to make a sound, Michael could faintly make out Myrnin's voice, muttering something that sounded like, "Claire...why...not fair...alone."

Taking a deep breath, and preparing to run very fast if everything went wrong, Michael called out, louder this time, "Myrnin?"

Myrnin appeared in the doorway almost immediately, glaring at the intruder. "Myrnin, what happened in here?" Michael asked calmly and slowly, trying not to set him off.

Myrnin reacted surprisingly nervously to Michael's intrusion and questioning, stuttering, "Um, nothing, it was just an, um...experiment...into, um, the effects of..."

"Myrnin, I know I'm no genius, but that's an insult if you genuinely expect me to believe that," Michael interrupted, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

Myrnin cast his eyes about the room, searching for a plausible excuse for his behaviour. Eventually, he seemed to realise that no such excuse existed, and replied, "I just had a brief lapse in self control. I am perfectly fine now, and I will not require your assistance today."

"Myrnin, if there's anything you need to talk about, just, you know, tell me, and I'll listen," Michael said. Then, almost to himself, he added, "Between this and Shane, I'm going to end up in an early grave."

Unfortunately, Myrnin overheard this side note, and asked in an even tone, "Shane? What has the idiot done now?"

"Firstly, he's not an idiot, not everyone is a physics whizz. Secondly, it's none of your business," Michael said, attempting to avoid the topic of Claire and Shane's relationship.

"I believe it is, as anything that may affect your ability to work for me is my concern," Myrnin said slyly.

Trapped, Michael realised that Myrnin would find out sooner or later about the demise of Claire's relationship, and said, "Fine, Claire broke up with Shane, so he's being a bit difficult to handle at the moment. That's all, and it won't affect my ability to work for you." As he finished speaking, he realised that Myrnin had seemed to perk up almost immediately once he found out that Claire and Shane were no longer a couple.

"Oh, in that case, you may go and feed Bob, whilst I sort out the lab," Myrnin said, decidedly happier than he had been five minutes previously. And with that, he began to collect up the shards of glass that littered the floor.

Michael knew better than to try to reason with Myrnin, and therefore fetched the Tupperware box of dead insects from one of the draws and gave Bob his dinner, all the while wondering about Myrnin's feelings about Claire. For the rest of his time there that day, Michael found that Myrnin continued to act as if nothing had changed, although his mood had definitely improved.

And yet later that evening, once Michael had returned to the Glass House, Myrnin did a celebratory jig, before letting out a cry of happiness that even managed to wake Grandma Day next door.

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_**A/N: Yet again, thanks for your continued support, and thanks for reading. As always, please review! :)**_


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